The Tattered Ribbon
by Sahren Athykyna
Summary: Sahren Athykyna is a rebel, infiltrating slave operations on Ryloth to resuce Twi’leks from slavery. But when her mother dies during a mission, her already precarious life starts to unravel. Disclaimer: I dont own any of the Star Wars franchise, but the story and characters are mine. Editing by Tyan Athykyna. Thank you so much for reading!
1. TheTatteredRibbon

A tattered ribbon is my inheritance. It's long and dark blue, fraying around the edges. It was tied around my arm when we came to the Resistance. We don't know where it came from, or what it means. You can't gain knowledge of your heritage from a scrap of fabric. Tyan and I cut it in half, sewing the symbol of the Resistance onto the inside. He wears it around his wrist, and mine is wrapped around my hair. We never go anywhere without them. They are a symbol, not of our past or our home planet, but of each other. They are a reminder that there is always someone waiting for you, someone who will never give up on you, a reminder to come home.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! These first two chapters are going to be backstory, and then I'll start with the story arc. Reviews, comments and suggestions are very appreciated. **

**May the Force be with you 3**

**-Sahren Athykyna**


	2. MyName

We came to the Resistance when we were three years old, with baby fat in our chubby cheeks, but no innocence left in our eyes. My twin brother Tyan and I were captured in a raid on our home in the Tulara Ravine, the desolate wasteland where we lived on Ryloth. We were saved by a Rebel named Lupoza. She infiltrated the ship and got us to safety, taking out the traders before they could make another stop. There was no one there for us, our parents had died in the raid, and we didn't know of any family. And no Twi'lek would want us because of our appearance. When you see us, it's painfully clear that we are hybrids. Instead of lekku, we have light blue hair that I wear in two long braids that curve into buns, and Tyan chops his off. Light blue swirls over our skin, making it almost impossible to hide. Outside of the Rebellion, there is nothing there for us. So at eighteen, Lupoza adopted us. In between her missions she braided my hair, looked over Tyan's creations and listened to our endless rambling stories. She got Tyan an apprenticeship with a medic and trained me in her line of work so that I could carry out missions when she got too old to complete them. But I never thought that I'd have to start so soon.

One night, she went out on a routine mission, something that she'd done hundred of times before. But something went wrong. When she was captured by the slave ship, there was an engine malfunction, a fire started and...

That night, Tyan and I told stories of our adopted mother through our tears, desperately trying to find a light in the darkness. Tyan's was my favorite.

Lupoza named Tyan and me after an old story that her mother told her when she lived in the Jixuan desert on Ryloth.

In the hidden jungle, deep in the desert, there live a people. Many thousands of years ago, they lived with our ancestors as one nation. But there was something different about these people. They did not feel. They did not feel pain, but they did not feel joy either. They were numb. And so they were feared. The people were driven out of the village, so they hid away in a secret jungle in the middle of the desert. And they were never heard from again. The ancestor's hearts filled with regret. Now these people would never feel. They had condemned them to a half-life. But one day, two children will return to their homeland to bring emotion to the cursed people. Sahren and Tyan will unleash the weapon, and break the curse, bringing peace to the ancestors in the stars.

She thought that it would bring us strength. I spent many nights lying awake, imagining myself as a hero, with Tyan at my side... But fantasies pass, and as I grew older and saw the suffering around me, I dedicated myself to something achievable. Maybe I couldn't save a planet, but I could save children, and maybe they would be the Ones. I think that Lupoza thought that too.

Our last name, Athykyna, is even more special to me than my first. Athykyna was Lupoza's last name. Looking back, I don't know how she did it, mothering two wild children while still going on missions and trying to live a normal life. I think that it was because she lost her parents at a young age, and didn't want us to have to struggle with growing up as orphans. But now I'll never know.

So Tyan and I struggled through the days. He threw himself into work, and I trained, knowing that now I'd have to work alone. We tried to comfort each other, but there was no escaping the silence in our old room. Everything seemed empty now that she's gone.

There was no time to prepare. The call came in the middle of a meal, and then everything sped up. I hugged Tyan goodbye and ran to the hanger. We jumped to hyper speed immediately, racing to intercept the traders and plant me for infiltration. In the back of the ship, I struggled to control my breathing, as my panicked mind realized what was ahead. My first solo mission.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope that you liked the story. Reviews, comments and suggestions are always appreciated. **

**May the Force be with you 3**

**-Sahren Athykyna**


	3. StatusUnknown

My heart races and I try to calm my breathing, tilting my head against the cold metal wall. I can feel Lupoza's absence next to me, and I fight the tears back. I know that Tyan is worried about me, going in alone for the first time. I've done this a handful of times before, but always with Lupoza. But with her gone, there's no one else who can do what I do. Lupoza trained me in hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship, foreign languages, and seduction. I needed to learn fast and work hard, because I won't be able to do this much longer. After I reach a certain age, I'll no longer be desirable to the raiders.

My thoughts bring me back to my surroundings. I'm locked in a small, dirty room with 12 other Twi'leks. We're all girls, none of them are older than 10. A little one nestles herself into my arms. Her sister told me that her name is Ayanela. She's only two years old, but the traders like to capture us at a young age for training. When we first got on the ship, we made quiet introductions, but no one talks now. Everyone is too absorbed in their own fear. Long minutes pass as the ship shakes, threatening to topple the crates and boxes towering precariously around us. As far as I can tell, we're still circling around Ryloth, waiting for the signal to descend and pick up more kids.

Suddenly, the ship jolts, and then tilts ninety degrees. The girls slide down the floor, landing in heaps against the wall. Some of them scream, and Ayanela starts to cry, little tears trailing down her light green skin and dripping off of her short lekku. Outside, a man yells, and blasters start firing. Then, we all hear the unmistakable sound of stormtrooper boots punishing down the hallway towards us. I leap to my feet, covering Ayanela's mouth with my hand and diving behind a group of crates that have fallen over in the corner.

"Hide!" I hiss, but it's too late. The door slides open and a group of stormtroopers walk through and stun everyone. I stay immobile, holding Ayanela into my chest as they carry out the girls. My heart sinks. Now there's nothing that I can do. The girls will probably be taken to a First Order base and be brainwashed into doing the Order's bidding. I don't know what to do. This never happened with Lupoza. The only thing that I can do now is try to get off of this ship before we're found. I stand slowly, covering myself with my dark cloak. Ayanela has stopped crying, but her dark eyes are filled with fear.

"Shhhh" I whisper. "It's going to be okay, I promise." She folds herself against me, and I take a deep breath, readying myself. Then I slip out the door.

I run through the dark hallways, stopping to look around the corners. It's an old ship, and the layout is easy enough to understand. We make it to the room with the escape pods, but I stop on the outside of the door. Someone is crying. I can hear my heart pounding. Is it another kid who made it out? I step into the light...

And then spring backwards, instinctively wrapping my arms around Ayanela. But that won't make any difference against this enemy. On the edge of the pod, there is a girl, around my age, sobbing like her heart has just been broken. Her stormtrooper helmet lies next to her.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! What did you think? Reviews, comments and suggestions are very appreciated. **

**May the Force be with you 3**

**-Sahren Athykyna**


	4. TheStormtrooper

She jumps up, grabbing her blaster and aiming it at my head… and then lowers it slowly, sinking back onto the dirty floor. This room hasn't been used in a long time, the lights flicker and dust swirls through the air, making a kind of halo around the girl. The escape pod hatch is blocked by more crates. As I observe my surroundings, she throws the blaster against the wall, making me flinch. My head instinctively whips back towards the hall, searching for threats, but all is quiet.

Except for the sound of the tears coming from the stormtrooper.

"I'm so sorry." She gasps between sobs. "I didn't want this!"

I warily slide the door closed behind me, inching towards the discarded weapon. Ayanela whimpers, and the girl's head shoots up. My instincts kick in at the sudden movement and I grab the blaster, shifting Ayanela to my side to cover her as I aim the blaster at the stormtrooper in one fluid movement.

The girl slowly raises her hands over her head as she stares at the ground, giving me time to assess the threat that she poses. It's hard to glean any knowledge of physical skill with all of the armor. Her skin is a deep black, and her hair is a tangled mess from her helmet. I can't stop myself from mentally stating the obvious. She's beautiful. But before I can think about that, she catches me staring as her eyes meet mine. They are such a deep brown that they're almost black, and tinged red from crying. I can feel myself blushing, but she doesn't seem to notice.

"I-I'm s-so sorry." She repeats.

"Sorry about what? Your evil, oppressive empire just gained eleven new killers." I hiss. She shrinks back against the wall, and I try to ignore the sudden sting of regret.

"I- We d-don't- we didn't ta-take them… w-we k-ki…" she said shakily, her arms, still raised above her head are visibly trembling. I step forward, heart pounding, trying to stay calm, while inside my head I am anything but. No no no. They can't. They couldn't have… I don't want to believe it.

"What. Did. You. Do?" I spit out, aiming the blaster at her head.

"W-we k-k-killed th-them." She sobs, lowering her arms. She tries to wrap them around her legs, but the heavy armor stops her.

I step back, leaning against the wall and clutching Ayanela. I can't stop from crying. Those little girls… they're gone now.

"I-I- I didn't- I didn't know." She whispers, her tears slowing. "But I couldn't do it. I- now they'll kill me." Her breath rushes out. I try to stay strong, but I know that pity shows on my face. This girl has been trained for years to be a cold-blooded killer. And she was my age. If the circumstances had been different, it could have been me in the stormtrooper uniform. But her compassion has given her a death sentence.

My thoughts are interrupted by Ayanela, who begins to cry. I shush her frantically, putting down the blaster, but she doesn't stop, unaware of the danger that she's putting us in.

The girl looks at her with undisguised longing.

"Could I…?" Everything in me screams to not trust her, to shoot her, to run… but some strange new instinct tells me that I can trust her, and I pass Ayanela to the girl, then sit down next to her, crossing my legs.

She smiles as Ayanela settles into her lap and faces her chest, wrapping her tiny arms around her.

"Hi there! It's okay! You're okay! What's her name?" She asks, glancing up at me.

"Her name is Ayanela. Her sister told me." Pain crosses both of our faces at the mention of the children. She takes a shaky breath, looking down at the now calm little girl.

"Hi Aya. Do you feel better now?"

"I'm hungry. What's your name?" She asks in her sweet little voice. The stormtrooper hesitates.

"My name is Tyler." She must see the question in my eyes, because she sighs.

"FY-2094, at your service." Under the sarcasm I can hear the pain in her voice.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't. I know what I am, and I know what I deserve." I don't miss her use of 'what', like she is no longer a person. She is resigned to her fate, to death. I want to help her. The thought hits me. Why do I want to help her? Then a loud noise makes us both jump. Far away, but coming closer. The unmistakable sound of stormtrooper's boots, marching towards us.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated!**

**May the Force be with you 3**

**-Sahren Athykyna**


	5. TheEscape

I spring up and quickly cross the room to the escape pods, and start to program them for the location of the rebel base. The boots are getting closer. I turn to warn… Ty. I can't call her anything else yet. She's still a stormtrooper. Still the enemy. I think. But she hasn't moved from her spot on the floor.

"What?" I whisper-yell. "Hurry, we need to go!" She shakes her head.

"I can't come with you two. They don't know that you survived." Her words send a shock of realization through me. "But if I go, they'll chase after you. I can be tracked." Behind us, the escape hatch slides open, and in the hallway we can hear the stormtroopers coming closer.

"Look, we don't have time to argue right now." I say, trying to keep my voice calm. "Let's just go, we can figure everything out later." She shakes her head sadly, then stands up, still carrying the now-sleeping Ayanela. Before I can react, she shoves her into my arms and pushes me backwards, and I fall into the escape pod, smacking my head painfully against the hard floor.

I try to sit up, but the hatch slides closed behind us. I'm panicking, my breathing accelerates. Another death that I could have prevented is about to happen. I prop Aya in the corner and bang on the glass. Ty stands in front of me, smiling through her tears. I realize that I'm crying too. The pod starts to move away from the ship, but I can still see her there, in front of the glass. The door behind her slides open and four stormtroopers march in. We're still close enough for me to see her close her.

We're still close enough for me to see the first stormtrooper pick up her blaster and shoot her in the back.

"Tyler!" I scream, as we leap into hyperspace. I hold the now sobbing Ayanela as we travel back to the base, farther and farther away from the stormtrooper that saved our lives.

* * *

**A/N: sorry that this is kinda short, I'll try and write more today. Any reviews, comments or suggestions that you have are very very appreciated. Thank you so much for reading! 3**

**-Sahren Athykyna**


End file.
